RONAL TOOL : EDM TOOLROOM
Ronal Tool's commitment to communication will insure every job meets the customer's requirements.
2. Purchase Order and Change Notice:
All purchase orders are checked against the quote sheet as a clarification of our job responsibility. All part numbers, delivery dates and special requirements are noted on the purchase order and work instuctions. When something changes on a customer's order, the customer is contacted and a PO change notice is initiated. This acts as a checklist of areas where the change must be recorded to insure all aspects of the job reflect the changes made. All aspects of changes are documented.
3. Employee Training:
Ronal Tool supports "quality conscious" training. This training is never ending. It is the responsibility of each employee to practice quality control. Quality begins at the start of each job, so quality control must be instilled in every action taken to complete that job. Ronal Tool supports the use of meetings, handouts and electronic media for instruction in quality control.
4. Gage Control:
Gages are monitored by their service and use. Ronal Tool has regularly scheduled inspections for our primary gages and we maintain records for the service of these gages. Gage blocks, comparator, microscope, height set and surface plates are formally checked at least once a year. All gages are constantly monitored for wear. It is our practice to clean and inspect all gages as they are used. Employees frequently check their hand instruments. It is our standard practice that if a close tolerance is to be checked with a micrometer, that micrometer is to be verified with the proper gage block first. Care and inspection of gages is continual. Discrepant gages are removed from service.
5. Computerization:
Tracking of cost is done on two separate software systems: Peachtree Complete Accounting and Access Database. Currently Peachtree handles receivables, payables, payroll, job cost, sales orders and purchasing. Access is used for establishing all quoting information, inventory, active jobs, customer and employee information along with machinery and equipment records. Access is used to generate our quote sheet, shop order sheet and packing lists. All of our databases are relational and give us extreme flexibility with our information.
Procedures:
1. Inspection:
Each shop order sheet will indicate if a job needs to be inspected. The inspection status will be marked according to requirements stated on the customer's purchase order. The inspection report lists all pertinent information for the job along with nominal dimensions, tolerance zones, actual readings, gages used, finish requirements, heat treatment specifications and acceptance or rejection by our shop foreman. All inspection procedures are performed consistently from job to job. If designated, inspection will be completed by a journeyman toolmaker who is responsible for accurately measuring the dimensions. Our employees treat inspection like any other step in completing the job. Our foreman hands out the drawing, the part and an inspection report. Using the proper measuring apparatus, the journeyman will fill out the inspection report then return the completed report, part and print to the foreman. If the part passes inspection, the "approved for shipping" area on the Shop Order is signed by the foreman. Raw material, subcontracted parts and special finish features are all subject to the same inspection procedure. The foreman instructs a qualified individual to inspect the incoming parts or materials.
2. Shipping:
No job will be shipped until it is signed off by the shop foreman or his assistant and approved for shipment. When the Shop Order passes inspection, the foreman conveys all the paperwork to the office, where the appropriate packing slip is generated. Any special shipping requirements specified on the customer's purchase order are relayed directly to the shipping department by the foreman. Shortly after the Packing List is processed, the Invoice is generated.
3. Audit:
Audits of our quality system insure continuous improvement in our manufacturing and inspecting procedures. An audit begins with the with the quoting cycle and includes purchase order acceptance, establishing job status, ordering material, scheduling manufacturing processes, communicating with employees that are involved in the manufacture of the specific job, establishing quality procedures, collecting and interpreting job information, gathering product and associated/related paper work, shipping and final inspection.
When all related information has been gathered, and all employees with any kind of contact to the job contacted/included, can audit conclusions be finalized.
Quality audits occur when a mistake has been made or when a process is not producing the desired result.
Quality audits always conclude with a definitive resolution. Either a documented process sheet for the job will be issued in order for the process to follow a specific procedure, or a documented quality meeting of all employees is concluded for purposes of quality enlightenment. In all cases the affected customer is privy to all documents concluded by the quality audit.
